A popular Chinese online personality has been detained for five days after singing the Chinese national anthem in an 'insulting' way.

20-year-old live streamer Yang Kaili 'insulted the dignity of the national anthem' during a live broadcast, local Shanghai police said in a statement.

In the video of the live show filmed in her flat on October 7, Yang incorporated part of the anthem into the introduction of her 'online concert' by singing the opening lines of the national anthem 'March of the Volunteers' while waving her arms in the air like a conductor.

Yang, known as Li Ge on social media, has more than one million followers on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo and more than 44 million followers on Dou Yin, a popular music video platform.

In the video of the show filmed in her flat in Shanghai, Yang Kaili was seen singing the opening lines of the national anthem 'March of the Volunteers' while waving her arms in the air

Yang Kaili, a popular online celebrity, has apologised twice for her 'foolish behaviour'

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Many net users find her broadcast offensive and reported her to the police.

'During Yang's broadcast in her apartment, she had violated China's National Anthem Law and had been taken for five days of administrative detention,' police in Shanghai's Jingan district said in a Weibo post on Saturday.

'The national anthem is a symbol of the country. All citizens and organisations should respect the national anthem and protect its dignity,' the statement read, adding that live-streaming platforms are not 'above the law.'

Under the law, those found singing the anthem in a 'distorted or disrespectful way' can be detained for up to 15 days.

Yang, known as Li Ge on social media, has more than one million followers on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo and more than 44 million followers on Dou Yin, a music video platform

Live-streaming videos have been a dominant trend in China, where many young people have become online celebrities and millionaires by broadcasting their daily lives

Huya, the live-streaming platform where Yang broadcast the bit, had taken down her video and blocked her channel following the incident.

'The national anthem is solemn and sacred … Huya respects the anthem and firmly protects its dignity and will not tolerate any content or actions deemed insulting to the anthem,' the company said in a statement on Wednesday. It also added that Yang lacks awareness of the 'law and social responsibility'.

Her videos on Dou Yin, known as TikTok outside of China, has also been deleted.

Yang had since apologised twice on Weibo, saying that she regretted her 'foolish behaviour' and 'stupid mistake', adding that she will stop all live-streaming sessions to conduct self-reflection.

'I sincerely apologise for not taking the national anthem seriously during the live broadcast. My behaviour had deeply hurt everyone's feelings: I am sorry. I apologise to the motherland, to my fans, to net users, to the video platform.'

Soldiers of People's Liberation Army (PLA) attend a flag-raising ceremony during sunrise at Tiananmen Square on Chinese National Day. Under the National Anthem Law, those found singing the anthem in a 'distorted or disrespectful way' can be detained for up to 15 days

'I sincerely apologise for not taking the national anthem seriously during the live broadcast,' Yang said. All her videos have been taken down and her channel has been banned

Live-streaming videos have been a dominant trend in China, where many young people have become online celebrities and millionaires by broadcasting their daily lives, including filming themselves singing, dancing and eating.

However, Chinese authorities have been tightening control amid a recent crackdown on such live-streaming services.

Officials have closed down 73 illegal live streaming platforms in the first half of last year and imposed life bans on 1,879 live streamers who severely violated regulations, according to China Daily.

Amazon-backed Twitch, which let users watch and broadcast video-game playing, has also been blocked in China in September after it became the third most popular free app in the Chinese iOS store.